Thunderbolts* (2025)

It is odd to think of, but Marvel is almost going to have more movies than I have in years on this planet (according to wiki, they will have caught up to me by 2027).

(This of course does not include the TV shows, Limited Series, and what not).

The issues with the MCU over the years post Endgame have been apparent: franchise fatigue, the amount of homework one “needs” in order to understand what the heck is happening, and (most damaging) the departure of Kang as the new big bad after the issues surrounding actor Jonathan Majors. 

Regardless of the reasons, the products have been rather diminishing in returns (with some exceptions). Sure, some shows have been decent (most recently Daredevil: Born Again) but with Secret Invasions and movies like Captain America: Brave New World, it was clear that it seemed Marvels best days were behind them. These were products that seemed like liabilities that no one would care about, which is fitting, since this is dialogue actually spoken in Thunderbolts*, which is truly a bounce back for the company, there best since Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The film’s characters are the “liabilities”, with the main focus on Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), still trying to find some form of acceptance even years after losing her older sister, the OG Black Widow. The only family she has is her surrogate father figure, Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour), formally the Red Guardian.

She is asked for one final mission by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis Dreyfuss) that pits her up against the likes of John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). They also stumble across Bob Reynolds, played by Lewis Pullman (his second “Bob” character after Top Gun: Maverick).

In the mean time, de Fontaine (the “de” is important) is trying not to lose her job while also dealing with the newly elected Congressman Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).

What ultimately makes this entry (from director Jake Schreier) in the MCU a much needed refresher is a combination of many attributes, from the star power (especially Pugh) and the comedy (“don’t drink the big gulp”) to the surprising issue the movie tackles with the character of Bob, which I for one cannot remember a superhero movie doing before. Where the film ultimately succeeds is with how down to earth it is as well as having just the right amount of self awareness.

While not the film’s fault, it does suffer the similar fate of other films these days in that too much is given away in the trailer (we know how they are going to survive the pursuit on that dessert road). It is also does not help that, while the final act is indeed engaging, it does tend to drag on a bit too long.

Parents, as is normally the case, if your kids have seen at least one of the movies in the MCU, they should be fine here (although it does get a little dark, so to speak, in the final act, plus some swearing).

Does one need to see the other previous entries to understand what is happening? I dunno, but it would not hurt (especially Black Widow and Falcon and the Winter Soldier). Thunderbolts* does not result in the MCU being completely recovered, but it does put it on the road to recovery, perhaps best symbolized with what the MCU and the audience has needed all this time:

A cordial, tender group hug.

Overall: